Category: Australian News

New documents show the dangers of an AUKUS nuclear submarine base on Australia’s east coast. With Port Kembla being put as the frontrunner for the East Coast US submarine base, and Newcastle in the mix, these documents confirm that Labor is placing a military target on the largest population centre in the country. 

Documents released today, following pressure from NSW State MLC Abigail Boyd, cover discussions and advice from the NSW State Government in 2022 and 2023 on the use of ports in Newcastle and Port Kembla for an AUKUS submarine base. 

These documents reveal that Port Kembla is the preferred site based on a cost-benefit analysis, but the option of Newcastle remains open. There was an acknowledgement that the East Coast base would not be accepted by the community, “because residents are likely to perceive the [base] as a source of risk due to there being nuclear reactors on board the submarines and the military base being a potential military target.”

The documents also noted the negative impact the base will have on the community, saying: “The relocation of NSW residents represents a net cost, which may be borne by the resident or by NSW Government through financial compensation. Displaced NSW residents may also result in frictional unemployment, which will involve lost wages and may also involve additional re-training costs.”

The State and Federal Governments were also determined to keep the decision secret, which was seen as more important than open and transparent consultation with the local community. 

Bases for US nuclear submarines have been announced near Perth and Adelaide at HMAS Stirling and Osborne, respectively. However, the Federal Government has been silent on the East Coast base. 

Senator David Shoebridge, Greens Spokesperson on Defence, said: “The documents show that both the State and Federal Governments know full well that this US nuclear submarine base will be damaging and dangerous for the community.”

“It’s no surprise that people don’t want to live next to a bunch of floating nuclear reactors with a big military target on them. It’s also no surprise that the State and Federal governments are desperate to hide this truth from the public.

“We have seen in Perth and Adelaide how Governments have run roughshod over the local community and forced AUKUS submarine facilities on them. 

“Labor knows that putting a giant US nuclear submarine base in someone’s backyard is not popular, but instead of reversing that dangerous policy, they push on in secret. We now see this taking place in NSW.”\

“These documents say as clear as day that any East Coast nuclear submarine base will be a priority military target. 

“We are watching the US actively driving war and instability around the world and instead of distancing Australia from that conflict, we have Labor, One Nation and the Coalition inviting that into our homes.

“Trump will happily start a war, then not lift a finger when US bases in allied states get targeted. The Greens don’t want that for Australia, and that’s what sets us apart from Labor, One Nation and the Liberals.”

NSW State MLC Abigail Boyd, and Greens NSW Spokesperson for Treasury and Industry, said: “People have a right to know if their town is about to go nuclear. It should not have required a parliamentary order, followed by a lengthy battle involving a Senior Counsel, to finally get these documents released.

“These documents spell out exactly what the impact of AUKUS will mean – a collapse in house prices, businesses closing, and an enormous cost to the community, all while multinational weapons companies print money.

“The Labor Government know exactly how radioactive this decision is. So now they’ve finished crunching the numbers, they’ve decided to play dumb. This feigned ignorance of the preferred location represents a total breakdown in proper democratic function, denying communities the right for input and consultation. It denies these communities the opportunity to realise their own hopes and aspirations for their communities.

“The NSW Labor Government, like the Coalition Government before them, have been caught out treating people’s lives and livelihoods as entries in a spreadsheet. They have calculated exactly the misery and distress a nuclear base in Port Kembla or Newcastle would cause.”

“The Albanese government has hidden a 30% death tax ‘Easter egg’ in their bad faith Budget and was hoping they could sneak their assault on family savings past Australians”, said Shadow Treasurer, Tim Wilson.

Mr Wilson’s comments follow reports in The Australian that found a 30% death tax hidden in the Budget papers targeted at popular family trusts. An ‘Easter Egg’ in popular culture is a secret that was deliberately hidden and requires effort to find.

“Young Australians who invest in ETFs, crypto and shares have realised this Budget is targeted at kneecapping their savings, and applies a tax on invested first home deposits, and now their targeting any inheritance too”, Mr Wilson.

“Yesterday in Question Time the Prime Minister was explicitly asked about ruling out a death tax in the future, and he wouldn’t. We now know he couldn’t rule out a death tax tomorrow because he announced one on Tuesday buried in his Budget papers”.

“In red hot rage, Anthony Albanese openly lied 50 times over to the Australian people about not introducing new taxes on homes, rentals, investments and family savings and now he’s been caught out trying to sneak through a death tax too”.

“This bad faith Budget is unravelling because Australian’s have awoken that the Budget narrative of intergenerational fairness is code for kneecapping Australian families”.

The Albanese Labor Government has now helped more than 250,000 Australians buy a home through the 5% Deposit Scheme, helping a new generation of Australians get into home ownership.

This has helped Australians save more than $2.3 billion on Lenders Mortgage Insurance costs and taken years off the time it takes to get into a home. 

This milestone builds on the Government’s housing plan announced in the Budget to build more homes, make the tax system fairer and help more Australians realise the dream of home ownership with reforms to negative gearing and the capital gains tax.

For too long, too many Australians have worked hard, done all the right things, and still felt locked out of home ownership.

That’s why the Albanese Labor Government is focused on tackling the housing challenge from every responsible angle: helping Australians buy a home, building more homes more quickly, getting renters a better deal and making the housing system fairer for younger Australians trying to get ahead.

Since coming to office, the Government has helped more than 250,000 Australians into home ownership, including more than 172,000 Australians in metro areas, and more than 81,000 Australians across regional and remote Australia.

Labor’s plan for a housing system that works for Australians

• Helping Australians buy a home: We’re levelling the playing field for first home buyers and making the tax system fairer by helping more Australians buy their own home. Combined with our 5% Deposit Scheme and our Help to Buy shared equity scheme, we’re shifting the scales in favour of aspiring first home buyers.
• Building more homes, more quickly: We’re tackling the housing shortage from every angle – investing a further $2 billion in enabling infrastructure, bringing our total housing infrastructure investment to $6.3 billion. We’re speeding up housing approvals and cutting red tape, and increasing the skilled construction workforce.
• Banning foreign investors from buying existing homes: We’re extending the ban on foreign investors buying existing homes until mid‑2029, helping more Australians into homes.
• Making renting fairer and more affordable: We’re continuing our work with the states and territories to get renters a better deal by strengthening renter protections and expanding long‑term rental supply. We have also boosted Commonwealth Rent Assistance by more than 50 per cent.
• Backing Australians doing it toughest: We’re supporting at risk young people to get into secure housing with a $60 million investment to help young people at risk of homelessness and we’re continuing to deliver more social and affordable homes through the Housing Australia Future Fund.

This milestone shows Labor remains the party of home ownership, and the party of aspiring homeowners.

the Prime Minister:

“We are making it easier and fairer for young Australians to buy their first home.

“Our 5 per cent deposits have now helped 250,000 first home buyers get into the housing market.

“This is helping people into home ownership sooner, while saving them money along the way.

“This year’s Budget is helping 75,000 more Australians into their first home by making the tax rules fairer and by building more homes.

“We’re delivering more tax cuts, giving people a fair crack at buying their first home, and an economy that works for Australians, businesses and future generations.”

Treasurer, Jim Chalmers:

“This Budget delivers more homes and a fairer go for first home buyers.

“Whether it’s five per cent deposits, more help for first homebuyers or by building more homes, we’re coming at this housing challenge from every responsible angle.

“We know it’s too hard for too many Australians to buy their own home and get ahead and that’s why we’re investing in housing supply, making our tax system fairer and putting first home buyers ahead of foreign investors.”

Minister for Housing, Clare O’Neil:

“We know that the housing system feels stacked against first home buyers so we’re levelling the playing field and building more homes.

“I don’t care what your politics is, 250,000 first homebuyers is a staggering number of people to have helped into homeownership, and there are thousands more to come.

“We want more homes and more home owners, and that’s what we’re working to deliver.”

Internationally-known children’s rights advocate Katy Faust will address the Family First National Conference in Sydney via live video link from Seattle on August 22.
 
Ms Faust, whose advocacy for children and opposition to same-sex marriage and parenting has made her a target of left-wing media attacks — including a recent Mother’s Day hit piece in The Seattle Times — is the founder of Them Before Us, a movement which argues that every child has a right to their mother and father wherever possible.
 
Family First National Director Lyle Shelton said Family First was honoured to host Ms Faust, who visited Australia during the 2017 marriage plebiscite campaign to assist the Coalition for Marriage.
 
“Katy Faust has courageously articulated what millions of people instinctively know — that marriage is not primarily about adult desires but about the rights and wellbeing of children,” Mr Shelton said.
 
“Family First shares Katy’s goal of overturning same-sex marriage because of the harm it does to children by intentionally normalising the idea that mums or dads are optional.”
 
Mr Shelton said the “no difference” thesis — the claim that children do just as well with two mums or two dads as they do with their married biological mother and father — had been promoted by activists and compliant media during the 2017 plebiscite campaign while dissenting evidence and arguments were aggressively suppressed.
 
“The reality is that children naturally long for and benefit from both their mother and father. Men and women bring different but complementary gifts to parenting,” he said.
 
“Wherever possible, children should not be deliberately deprived of either parent through law and public policy.
 
“The push for same-sex marriage was never just about allowing adults to formalise relationships. It inevitably led to demands for surrogacy, sperm donation and IVF arrangements which intentionally create motherless or fatherless children.”
 
Mr Shelton said Australians were denied the mature national conversation that should have occurred before the redefinition of marriage.
 
“During the Voice referendum Australians finally saw what happens when both sides of an argument are properly aired and debated,” he said.
 
“If the public in 2017 had been given the same opportunity to hear the other side of the marriage debate — without the censorship, corporate activism and intimidation that occurred — same-sex marriage would never have received majority support.”
 
Mr Shelton said Ms Faust’s appearance at the Family First National Conference would provide Australians with an opportunity to hear arguments and evidence that had too often been excluded from mainstream discussion.

The Albanese Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Norwegian government, to further support the acquisition and domestic manufacturing of missiles in Australia.

The multilateral arrangement will enhance information sharing and collaboration between Australia, Norway and 10 other countries that use the Naval Strike Missile and Joint Strike Missile, which are developed by Norwegian defence company Kongsberg. The arrangement will support Australia to become a regional missile production hub.  

The Strike Missile Family MoU supports Australia’s efforts to acquire, manufacture and maintain the Naval Strike Missile and Joint Strike Missile, in line with the 2026 National Defence Strategy and 2024 Australian Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Plan. 

The Albanese Government is investing up to $850 million to enable Australia to locally manufacture and maintain the Naval Strike Missile, Joint Strike Missile and priority missile components. This includes the construction of a new missile factory in Newcastle, which will be able to produce missiles for the Australian Defence Force and partner nations from 2027. 

These initiatives form part of the Albanese Government’s investment of up to $36 billion over the decade to accelerate the acquisition and manufacture of longer-range munitions in Australia, in line with the 2026 Integrated Investment Program.

Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy:

“The Albanese Government is investing up to $36 billion over the next decade to make missiles in Australia and uplift our weapons stocks, making our nation more self-reliant and resilient.

“This arrangement will support local jobs and a defence future made in Australia by enabling domestic manufacturing through cooperation with international partners.” 

The Albanese Government will continue to invest in strengthening Australia’s relationships, region and resilience in the 2026-27 Budget, ensuring Australia remains secure and influential in an increasingly uncertain world.

The Budget delivers investments to support peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, strengthen Australia’s partnerships and protect Australians at home and overseas.

The global development landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. Developing countries across the Indo-Pacific are confronting a triple shock of major global aid cuts, trade disruption and energy insecurity linked to conflict in the Middle East.

These pressures risk undermining hard-earned development gains and increasing instability across our region.

At a time of instability and uncertainty, the Albanese Government will continue to prioritise the Indo-Pacific, where Australia has most at stake.

In the 2026-27 Budget, Australia’s total Official Development Assistance will be maintained.

Australia’s development program must be strategic, effective and sustainable. This has required reprioritising some multilateral funding to meet immediate needs in the Indo-Pacific.

Funding will be reduced to the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Partnership for Education, UNAIDS and the Pandemic Fund.

This reprioritisation will ensure that over 75 cents in every development dollar is directed to our region.

The Budget also reinforces Australia’s long-term investment in regional security and strategic partnerships.

The Australia-Indonesia Treaty on Common Security (the Jakarta Treaty 2026), signed by leaders in February 2026, represents the most significant step in the bilateral relationship in decades and reflects the deep trust between our nations.

The Albanese Government will commit $33.2 million to strengthen institutional ties between Australia and Indonesia, increase Indonesian language and country expertise in Australia, and create a new leadership dialogue to foster connections and deepen understanding.

The next phase of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with India will build on the unprecedented progress that we have made across strategic, economic and people-to-people fields. The 2026-27 Budget commits $25.3 million to drive Australian business engagement with India’s rapidly growing economy, seed new areas of cooperation through Maitri grants, and strengthen maritime security in the Indian Ocean.

Keeping Australians safe is the first priority of the Albanese Government. The Budget invests $60.5 million to sustain Australia’s critical consular services around the world and support Smartraveller travel advice to help keep Australians safe overseas.

Australia will also continue its steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and economy in the face of Russia’s unjustified invasion, extending Ukraine’s duty-free access to Australia for a further two years until July 2028.

The Budget also includes $87 million to support the DFAT portfolio, alongside other government entities, to implement Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program. We are committed to setting the highest non-proliferation standards and implementing robust domestic regulation to oversee Australia’s nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation and nuclear security obligations.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong:

“At a time of global uncertainty, Australia will remain a reliable partner our region can count on.

“We are building the region we want – one that is peaceful, stable and prosperous, where sovereignty is respected and countries can determine their own futures.

“Our investments in diplomacy, development and regional partnerships strengthen both Australia’s national security and the resilience of our region.”

Pacific Island Affairs Minister Pat Conroy:

“Pacific countries are facing growing pressures from climate change, economic disruption and global instability, and Australia is stepping up as a trusted partner.

“We are prioritising targeted investments that back Pacific priorities, strengthen local resilience and support long-term development.

“Australia’s engagement in the Pacific is grounded in trusted partnerships, respect and our shared interest in a peaceful, stable, prosperous region.”

International Development Minister Anne Aly:

“Australia’s humanitarian program opens up opportunities and supports communities to be stronger, safer and more resilient.

“At a time of growing global uncertainty, Australia is continuing to invest in the people and relationships that help create a more stable and secure region for everyone.

“Our humanitarian program reaches some of the most vulnerable communities in our region, making real on the ground change when it comes to health, climate and gender equality.”

Coles being found to have deliberately misled customers with fake discounts shows again that Australia needs powers to break up the supermarket duopoly and an economy-wide ban on price-gouging, the Greens say.

The Federal Court today found Coles misled customers with fake discounts, in a case brought by the ACCC.

“Coles and Woolworths treat customers with contempt because they have an iron grip on this country’s grocery sector,” Greens Economic Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

“As the Greens-led Senate inquiry found, Australia needs divestiture powers to forcibly break up the supermarket duopoly, as well as other oligopolies.”

“We also need economy-wide price gouging laws, particularly during a cost of living crisis.”

“The major parties are in thrall to the big corporations because of their political donations. The Greens are not. We need divestiture and price gouging laws now.”

“The Greens have legislation already drafted and ready to go – the only thing we need is for a bit of courage from the Labor and Liberal parties.”

The Victorian Greens have said Labor is on notice to reinstate the $2.4 billion for public schools that was quietly cut last year by Jacinta Allan’s Labor government. 

It comes after a damning report was released from the Greens-secured inquiry into public school funding. The inquiry heard from teachers, school councils and parent groups.

This inquiry revealed – that Victorian public students are being left behind by Jacinta Allan’s Labor government when compared to other jurisdictions. 

The committee heard from parents having to give donations to ensure that the basics were being met – including essentials like tissues and paper. The inquiry also revealed the ripple effects of on students with disability, migrant and refugee, First Nation students and students taking alternative learning and online learning, who are being left behind by this government’s decision to cut funding. 

Key recommendations from the report require the government to specify when it will reach 75% of Schooling Resource Standard Funding and when the funding is met to advocate to the Federal government to compensate public schools for the lack of funding since 2014. 

Victorian Greens Education spokesperson, Tim Read:

“The situation in the so-called ‘Education State’ is dire right now. Teachers are being forced to strike, parents are having to fundraise for tissues, and children don’t have access to the support they need.” 

Victorian Greens Member for Northern Metropolitan and Legal and Social Issues committee member, Anasina Gray-Barberio:

“We won’t let Jacinta Allan’s Labor government’s complete lack of care for our public school students, teachers and staff degrade the future of Victoria’s education system. It is high time that this government reinstates the $2.4 billion they cut last year. With this report Jacinta Allan’s Labor government is officially on notice.”

The latest figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) released today have revealed twin records of both the number of adults in prison, and the number of people on remand awaiting court hearings.

The growth in prison numbers, a greater increase in the last four months than the previous four years, has been driven by people on remand for domestic and sexual violence (55% of increased remand numbers) but lack of services for people charged will create long term increases in offending.

Greens MP and spokesperson for Justice Sue Higginson said:

“The tough on crime populism of this Minns Labor Government is pushing hundreds of extra people into prisons that have little to no diversionary or rehabilitation services in place for them,”

“The increase in people on remand for domestic and family violence charges is only part of the story. Prisons are supposed to be places where people can be helped away from past mistakes, but at the moment these people are at best getting a brochure and just six sessions about healthier relationships,”

“A raw increase in the number of people in prison is not evidence that locking people up is a solution, it’s actually the opposite without a focus on effective services that will reduce the rate of offending once these people leave custody,”

“Statistical and expert evidence tells us over and over that when in remand people are exposed to awful, degrading, and traumatising prison experiences, increasing the likelihood of further offending upon release. We have to break the cycle or accept that the Government isn’t interested in rehabilitation,”

“NSW Prisons are so bad, so harmful to the people in them, that we are on the United Nations watchlist for our breaching of human rights. The chair of the UN’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has reinforced that ‘even short periods in remand can increase risk of reoffending, so these tough on crime reforms may make communities less safe, not more.’,”

“My call to the Premier and Ministers responsible is simple: the ‘lock them up’ media headlines are creating an assembly line for tomorrow’s continuing domestic violence crisis. We need coordinated and effective plans to help people on remand with access to a full suite of corrective services, or we will spend the rest of time locked into repeated cycles of violence,” Ms Higginson said.